The pitching staffs of longtime rivals New York and Boston are hurting as the regular season approaches.
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will have an MRI of his right elbow after experiencing issues recovering following spring training starts while Red Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito will have surgery on Tuesday and be out indefinitely.
Both Cole and Giolito have been durable in their careers.
Cole, the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner, has made at least 30 starts in each of the last six full regular seasons. The 29-year-old Giolito, who agreed to a $38.5 million, two-year deal with the Red Sox during the offseason, has pitched at least 160 innings in five of the last six seasons.
The Yankees had been bringing the 33-year-old Cole along slowly this spring, having him throw fewer pitches during his outings than the rest of the rotation. Still, Cole reported feeling a higher level of fatigue than usual between starts.
“He described it as his recovery, leading into his next start, has been more akin to what he feels in the season when he’s making 100 pitches,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday. “He usually doesn’t have the recovery issues he’s having. It’s been more of a challenge, more taxing. So we’re going to get an MRI to see what we’re dealing with here.”
Cole is entering the fifth season of a $324 million, nine-year contract that pays $36 million annually. He has the right to opt out after the season and become a free agent, but if he opts out, the Yankees can lock him up by adding a guaranteed $36 million salary for 2029.
Giolito reported discomfort in his elbow after getting tagged during a spring training appearance on March 1. He traveled to Alabama last week to get a second opinion from Dr. Jeffrey R. Dugas before opting for surgery, the extent of which is still uncertain.
“We know it’s with the ligament,” manager Alex Cora said, according to MLB.com. “So we’ll know more (Tuesday) when they go in. The type of surgery, we don’t know yet.”
SEOUL SERIES SET
It will be Tyler Glasnow against Yu Darvish when the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres meet in the Seoul Series opener in South Korea later this month.
Glasnow, acquired by the Dodgers in the offseason and signed to a $136.5 million, five-year contract, will make the second opening day start of his career when the series begins on March 20. The 6-foot-8 right-hander went 10-7 with a 3.53 ERA last season while pitching for Tampa Bay.
